European Researchers Night

Edward Bettella was recently invited to participate in European Researchers Night at Bath University, 28.9.2018

The University of Bath recently hosted European Researchers’ Night, a fun and collaborative evening of discussion and entertainment that looked at the links between art and science. European Researchers’ Night is funded by the EU Commission and aims to engage the European public in celebrating the latest and most stimulating research at a local and an international level. Simultaneous events will take place in over 300 cities, spanning 24 European countries.

Part of the evening included a panel discussion between researchers and members of the River is the Venue team (RIV), who have both been studying the history and effects of flooding in Bath. Edward Bettella joined fellow RIV artists Alyson Minkley and Marc Parrett, along with researcher Chrysoula Papacharalampou and Simon Hayhoe of Bath University, to discuss how River is the Venue was conceived and how the finished artworks reflect the ongoing research into the floodwaters of Bath. The panel also included Katie O’Brien, Gallery Director of 44AD and Hetty Dupays from Art at the Heart of the RUH.

The panel at European Researchers Night, Bath University

The panel spoke at length and took questions from a sold out audience, providing a great opportunity to share ideas and reflect on the results of the research and artwork. Both artists and researchers had extensively researched local records at Bath Records Office, as well as data from floodwater analysis carried out by the research team at Bath University, proving there was more similarities in work practices between science and art than could have previously have been imagined.

The completed artworks are now available to view at Bath Quayside and include works from the following artists:

The placement of the artworks next to the River Avon provides the perfect juxtaposition between artwork and its primary inspiration. The artworks will be in situ over the course of October 2018 and will then move to 44AD Gallery to be exhibited over November 2018. Edward Bettella will be performing with his soundscapes as part of the opening night, complete with newly improvised lines and specially created tape loops that have been developed as a new element of the soundscapes for RIV.

The RIV documentation exhibition will then tour to Royal United Hospital, Bath in December 2018, in partnership with Art at the Heart. Art at the Heart supports the RUH Bath with an award winning art and design programme that stimulates healing and well-being and creates an uplifting environment for patients, visitors and staff.

River is the Venue is an exciting partnership project with 44AD artspace, Art at the Heart of the RUH and research academics at the University of Bath. Funded through the University of Bath Public Engagement Unit, the focus of the research and project is on historical flooding events in Bath. As the project evolves audiences will be exposed to fascinating elements of the River’s history in the City.

The RIV project aims to: • Engage Local Communities • Establish Collaborative Activities • Create A Unique Accessible Arts Trail Situated Along The River Avon • Inform Ongoing Research on the History of Flooding in the City of Bath • Exhibit The Artworks And Share The Projects Story

Alongside community workshops and activities, the project has commissioned a series of public artworks by local artists, whose proposed artworks were selected through an open call process.